Western forensics team gets second place at tourney

For the third year in a row, Walled Lake Western High School hosted the state’s largest individual forensics tournament on Saturday, March 19, with Western taking second-place overall in the competition.

Forensics is a type of speech competition with individuals performing in a variety of different areas such as public speaking, acting, reading, and interpretation.

“With over 50 students, this is the largest and most hard-working team I’ve ever had,” said Coach Doug Bevier.

Some of Bevier’s students had their best finishes of the season at the competition. Hallie Wilson placed fourth in poetry, while Justyn Frink took second-place in prose.

Meanwhile, Daniel Tarockoff placed first in sales as he continues his first year in forensics.

And Anna Saunders and Christine Johnson continue to compete with each other in storytelling.

“Christine and Anna have gone back and forth all season between first- and second-place at each tournament they have competed in,” Bevier said.

Saunders won first-place this time with Johnson placing third.

Hanna Stoloff continued her streak of tournament wins with an almost perfect score for her 5th-straight first-place finish in prose.

In the multiple category, Taylor Williams, Melissa Anderson, Ryan Sirian, Christian Greenleaf, Lawrence Stout, Amanda Kitada, Collin Kuss, and Natasha Marshall earned third-place performing “Hairspray.”

Next up for the Warriors is Forensics Night on April 14, which the public is invited to see.

“It’s an evening of forensics performances with a delicious variety of desserts and refreshments,” Bevier said.

Tickets are $10, and the performances start at 6:30 p.m. in the Walled Lake Western auditorium.